Louisiana life | northshore noshing

Natural beauty and abundant dining reign in West St. Tammany Parish | by Jyl Benson

His menu an amalgamation of American South and Italian cuisines, Chef Jobe is apt to substitute Benton’s thick, salty country bacon for guanciale. His tight friendships with local purveyors are evident everywhere. Nick Usner of Grow Farm in nearby Bush provides the harvest that is available in abundance throughout the menu and even lends his farm’s name to the daily salad comprised of whatever is bright and fresh as he harvests by hand each morning — sometimes, kale, okra, and shelling beans, others peppers, tomatoes and fingerling sweet potatoes. The same hyper-local focus is found in the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with horseradish aioli, pickled radish, chives and arugula, the principle ingredient hailing from a nearby Wagyu cattle operation. Wood-fired pizzas arrive blistered and hot, perhaps loaded with collard greens, a fresh farm egg, local mushrooms, and smoked pork shoulder. If the season is right a house-made Crawfish Boil Gnocchi with Louisiana crawfish tails and sweet corn may be offered or perhaps BBQ Shrimp Linguine dotted with hot sausage, Creole butter, fresh herbs and charred lemon will be the star attraction.

EATER | New northshore gem meribo opens in covington

Modern Italian food in a stunning space | by Nora McGunnigle

Meribo is pronounced "Muh-REE-bo" and combines the two Italian words meridionale (southern) and cibo (food) to indicate the restaurant/pizzeria's dedication to combining southern Italian recipes with American southern ingredients, like wild boar and Benton's bacon.

Co-founders and friends Vinnie LeDonne (formerly GM at Palmetto's in Slidell) and Gavin Jobe (owner of the Pelican House in Baton Rouge) opened the restaurant in downtown Covington to express their love of casual but high quality dining with friends and family.

gambit | Review: wood-fired pizza and Italian fare at Meribo in Covington 

The modern Northshore restaurant focuses on regionally inspired Italian dishes | by Helen Freund

At first glance, Meribo, a new restaurant in Covington, looks like many modern Italian restaurants. There are meatballs draped in red sauce, delicate hunks of burrata perched atop heirloom tomatoes and a healthy dedication to wood-fired pizzas and pasta dishes. But take a closer look and you'll find Benton's bacon in many dishes, fried oysters on pizzas and Gulf shrimp and grits with collard greens. At their chic eatery, owners Vinnie LeDonne and Gavin Jobe embrace a combination of Italian concepts and techniques using local ingredients while adding Southern flair. (The restaurant's name is a portmanteau of the Italian words meridionale, meaning southern, and cibo, for food.)

Gambit | Beer buzz: five restaurants with interesting beer programs 

by Nora McGunnigle 

Meribo Pizza (326 N. Lee Lane, Covington, 985-302-5533; www.meribopizza.com), which just opened, is the brainchild of Vinnie LeDonne, formerly general manager of Palmetto's on the Bayou, and Gavin Jobe, co-owner of The Pelican House in Baton Rouge. Both restaurants have well-curated beer lists, and LeDonne and Jobe bring the same focus to Meribo. All the beers are local or regional.

WWL-TV | Three new Northshore restaurants to check out

by The Unknown Food Critic

While Del Porto has been the draw for upscale Italian food in downtown Covington, this newcomer takes a different approach. It's a casual, mid-range Italian eatery where a wood-burning oven is the cornerstone. This produces pizza and specialty dishes like a molten mozzarella with pesto and red sauce and crusty bread for dipping. There are Southern influences worked into the menu, like a pizza with pork shoulder and collard greens. Still, Meribo is focused on regional Italian standards. The raw beef carpaccio is a good starter with a glass of wine on a hot day. The regional beer selection is especially strong.